SIR hearings begin in Bengal, 32 lakh ‘unmapped’ voters to be covered

The hearings under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls began in West Bengal on Saturday (December 27, 2025) with people queuing up in front of 3,234 centres across the State, a senior official said.

“Around 32 lakh ‘unmapped’ voters, those who are unable to establish linkage with the 2002 electoral roll, will be called for hearings in the first phase,” he said.

Altogether 4,500 micro observers have been engaged for hearings in the first phase, which began at 11 a.m. Voters can submit any of 12 recognised documents, including Aadhaar, as proof of identity and address, an Election Commission official said.

“However, the Aadhaar card will not be accepted as a standalone document,” he said. “Those aged 85 years or above won’t have to physically come to the hearing camps as EC officials will undertake the process at their residences,” he added.

“The hearing process is being conducted under the supervision of over 4,500 micro-observers, with only authorised officials such as EROs, AROs, BLOs, and observers permitted at the centres. People are lining up in large numbers before every camp,” said the official at the office of the State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO).

No changes have been permitted once the hearing centres are finalised, as the measures aim to ensure transparency and accuracy in the revision process.

The Election Commission (EC) had, on December 16, published the State’s draft electoral rolls following SIR, deleting the names of more than 58 lakh voters on various grounds, including death, migration and non-submission of enumeration forms.